China is showcasing its advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and other emerging technologies at the Web Summit in Lisbon, as Beijing seeks to strengthen its position in the global technology industry and expand into international markets.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the four-day technology conference, which began on Monday, is expected to attract at least 70,000 participants from 164 countries, including 10,000 startups and 1,500 investors.
Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave highlighted China’s growing influence in the technology sector during the opening ceremony, saying that an increasing number of future technology leaders would come from China rather than California.
The event features more than 50 speakers from China’s leading AI laboratories, robotics startups, automobile manufacturers, quantum computing companies and energy businesses, Cosgrave said.
Chinese companies are using the gathering to demonstrate their latest technological developments. Agibot’s robots performed dance routines and tai chi movements during the opening events, while companies including Unitree, Galbot and Ubtech Robotics are expected to showcase their humanoid robots.
Among the prominent speakers is Tao Zhang, co-founder of Chinese AI company Manus AI, who is scheduled to demonstrate Manus 2.0, an AI agent designed to independently complete sequences of tasks.
Other speakers include Li Chen, co-founder of robotics company Unitree, William Shi, European president of Agibot, and Leo Haojun Wang, co-founder of autonomous driving company Pony.ai.
The summit will also feature Deli Zhao, co-founder of electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng, which is working towards mass-producing flying cars. The company displayed a prototype during Monday’s opening events.
China’s growing technology presence at the summit comes as the country seeks new international markets amid weak domestic demand and restrictions on access to parts of the US market on national security grounds.
Chinese open-weight AI models are also attracting interest from European companies, including Orange, Renault, Revolut and Siemens. These models can be downloaded free of charge and partly modified by users.
The Chinese technology showcase comes against the backdrop of controversy surrounding US chipmaker Nvidia. The company’s chief executive, Jensen Huang, has acknowledged an affair with a woman reportedly suspected by US intelligence officials of spying for China, a claim denied by Beijing, AFP reported.
The Web Summit runs until Thursday.
